Planning a Millennium Getaway
According to the Greenwich Royal Observatory
in England — the official timekeeper of the world — the first populated place
that will experience the new millennium will be near the Chatham Islands of New
Zealand. The first place on the globe to truly experience the new millennium
before anyone else, however, will be near Balleny Island in Antarctica.
Around the world, famous tourist attractions
are filling up with reservations for millennium parties and celebrations. People
from all parts of the world are looking to travel to such places as:
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Times Square in New York
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The Tower of London
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The Eiffel Tower in Paris
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The Coliseum in Rome
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Castles in Germany and Austria
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Temples and castles in Japan
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The pyramids of Egypt
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The Acropolis in Greece
France and England have both erected giant
clocks counting down to January 1, 2000. The clock in England is located in
Greenwich; the clock in France is atop the Eiffel Tower.
England is planning to reconstruct the
sailing of the Mayflower 2000 — based on the famous ship that brought the
Pilgrims to America. Several ships will sail from England to the United States,
reaching ports in Boston and other destinations all around the world.
World-famous Times Square in New York will be
one of the most densely populated places in the world. While many landmark
hotels are already booked with private parties, the Empire State building will
be open to the public. Hotels near other popular American tourist attractions
are filling up just as quickly, including Walt Disney World in Florida, San
Francisco Bay, and the casinos of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Members of The Millennium Society, a
nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., are planning to sail on the Queen
Elizabeth II to the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt for a World Millennium
Charity Ball.
A travel agency in Japan is planning a ship
cruise from Japan to Hawaii that will cross the International Date Line at the
stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999. Because the ship will be traveling
eastward, cruise passengers will get to experience the arrival of the new
millennium more than once.
Brazil is planning a grand-scale beach party
in Rio de Janeiro. North Cape in Norway will host New Year’s Eve music
celebrations, and the citizens of Iceland will light great bonfires to celebrate
the arrival of the new millennium.
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